This was a fun read that kept drawing me in, just as I was getting a little bored. I wasn't enchanted by the characters, but you could tell that Katherine Center didn't want us to be. The one thing I didn't like was the FMC breaking the fourth wall. That annoyed me.

This book had it all. Enemies to lovers, forced proximity, grumpy sunshine, humor, banter, mess, tension, the list goes on. The story was light and fun, but also touched on difficult topics in a sensitive and relatable way. I loved Emma’s dedication to being her father’s caregiver and was rooting for her the whole way, not just to find love but to finally follow her dreams she had denied herself for so long. I appreciated how Emma and Charlie’s story was not perfect, because what in life ever is. I laughed and smiled throughout, but also cried at times too. I cannot recommend this book enough, it would be the perfect summer read!

This. This right here. This is why Katherine Center is my absolute favorite. This whole book was perfection.

Emma Wheeler is an aspiring writer who’s spent the last 10 years caring for her father, who was injured in an accident. She gets the opportunity to help her favorite screenwriter rewrite his attempt at a rom-com, and she just can’t say no. Charlie Yates is surly, jaded, and has no business writing a rom-com. Will Emma, who unabashedly loves love, be able to help him fix it?

Katherine Center is simply the queen of the rom-com. I adore her writing style and storytelling. I can’t get over the little details you can find on almost every page that bring the story and characters to life. Emma and Charlie’s banter was everything; they had chemistry like I haven’t seen on the page in awhile. I will be a KC fan for life and can’t wait to see what she comes up with next!

Thank you to NetGalley, St. Martin’s Press, and Katherine Center for this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Emma has career plans to become a screenwriter, but since her father’s injury she’s been a full time care taker. When she gets the opportunity to write with famous Charlie Yates, she jumps on it but quickly finds out that he is not the one to write a rom com with. He doesn’t even believe in love.

Katherine Center never disappoints me. She is one of the only romance authors I read and always warms my heart. The characters are quirky and unique as usual and the build up is perfectly done. The ending not only has tear jerking resolution and big scene, but there’s also some really emotional monologuing and development at the end. I also loved the Jack Stapleton cameos!

“I would write a hundred happy endings for us if I could.”

The Rom Commers comes out 6/11.

I am a big fan of Katherine Center's novels. I refer to them as "feel good" books! The Rom-Commers does not disappoint. While I was reading this delightful, insightful book about two flawed people, Emma and Charlie, I found myself wanting to highlight almost every sentence!

"You had to maximize joy when it fluttered into your life. You had to honor it."

"Would you rather cancel hope altogether than risk the possibility of being disappointed?"

"Poor happy endings. They are so aggressively misunderstood. We act like "and they lived happily ever after' is trying to con us into thinking that nothing bad ever happened to anyone ever again. But that's never the way I read those words. I read them as "and they built a life together, and looked after each other, made the absolute best of their lives."

This last quote sums up the "feel goodness" of The Rom-Commers! I absolutely adored this book and hope that it becomes a movie one day!

Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for this delightful, enlightening and insightful rom-com! I highly recommend it!

I loved this so much. This book had me laughing out loud and kicking my feet like a little kid. I loved Charlie. I related to Emma. I enjoyed learning about the screen writing process. This was just so sweet and fun and lovely and I can't wait to read more from Katherine Center.

4.5 stars-

I was lucky enough to score an arc of gem of a book! It was a classic Katherine Center delight! The banter was on point, the romance was adorable, the plot was so fun! I LOVE Emma's character...she was so fun and brave!

My only real critique was it took me a while to warm up to Charlie. He frustrated me at the beginning of the novel. He did redeem himself in the end, but overall he wasn't a favorite MMC 🤷‍♀️

If you love Katherine Center then I think you will love her newest novel, especially since it is basically a love letter to rom-coms! 🥰❤️

A book about rom com movies. Yes please. I love Katherine Center sweet romances with funny, flawed and brilliant characters They are always amazing, lovely reads and this one was no exception. I love that Emma and I love Charlie.
Neither of them has had a great life, Emma with the loss of her mother and her father's medical needs and Charlie with his battles with cancer and divorce yet they fit so perfectly together.
I am a sucker for forced proximity and Emma's agent setting her up to work with Charlie and live in his mansion was so perfect. I love how they came up with a routine and learned and grew together while writing their movie. I LOVE the gerbil. I mean I am a sucker for a cat or dog side kick but a gerbil. Hysterical.
I kinda of loved Charlies ex-wife. I think I would have loved more of her. The whole scene where they were hiding from her in the pantry. Laugh out Loud.
Charlie is book boyfriend goals. He is charming, humble and sweet. I love their banter and their chemistry. Through out the book he just became more and more wonderful. I see these two become an amazing writing team and being Hollywood it couples. They are so cute together.

Highly recommend to anyone that wants a cute sweet rom com. Total beach read vibes.

i liked the idea of this story and i liked MOST of the story. some parts had me not liking Emma (the fmc) very much but she learned in the end and forgave and grew from her mistakes. and, all the characters had to learn and forgive in some way.
so, all in all, it was a good story. it showed someone how to believe in love, by falling in love.
(3.5 stars)

*thank you St. Martin's press and Netgalley for letting me read this! thoughts and opinions stated are my own.

First off, THANK YOU, NetGalley for the pleasure of reading this ARC for an honest review!

Remember the cliché line, don’t judge a book by its cover? I fell for it hook, line, and sinker with this book, The Rom-Commers! Based on the front cover, the summary blurb on the back, the title, and of course it’s KATHERINE CENTER!!! There is not a book she writes that I don’t love. And this new title of hers stayed on that path. Now don’t take the title Rom-Commers to think there’s no depth to this book. Because believe me there is. But, just in case you haven’t read KC yet and are a fan of Josie Silva, Emily Henry, or Emily Stone; then get ready to eat your heart out with this Contemporary Fiction Second Chance Romance.

Set mostly in L.A., California, unknown screenwriter, Emma Wheeler, is a true student of the romance and comedy genres. She lives, eats, and breathes anything and everything RomCom. But life threw her some hard hands so she remained home with her father as his primary caretaker. One day her long-time school friend calls and presents an opportunity she can’t refuse. Enter Charlie Yates. Yates, the screenwriting god of Hollywood, and Emma’s prickly heartthrob. He has written a romantic comedy that is so bad, SO BAD; and yet refuses to write with anyone, especially a nobody like Emma. With other plans in mind, Emma is not going to allow Charlie off the hook. She’s determined to rewrite the screenplay, to stand up for herself, her talent, and most importantly for love itself.

What worked well for this book was it checked off many of my emotional (romantic at heart) and real-to-life boxes. There is a great storyline, good build-up of conflict, consistent pacing, hilarious witty banter, laugh-out-loud situations, and familial support to reach one’s dreams. I enjoyed this book immensely and will absolutely buy a copy when released (6.11.2024). So for any reader out there who is not sure if there is a book for them; the answer is yes. Yes, it is! Grab this book before heading on vacation, before chilling around the pool, or sitting on your couch; you must experience the beautiful ride!

Final rating of The Rom-Commers is a 5 Star!

I don't always love the "grumpy guy, happy girl" trope, but it really seemed to fit this story well.

Charlie had his reasons for being grumpy, although maybe not to the level he took it. Emma had even more reasons to be grumpy but she rose above it and lived (somewhat) happily.

That they come together to write a horrible romantic-comedy movie hardly seems important in the big picture. Great book. Read it!!

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.

I think this is my least favorite from Katherine Center, which is weird to realize because I absolutely love everything else I’ve read from her!!!

Film writers with opposite experiences and fields work together to fix a rom-com script

🗣️ single POV
❤️‍🔥 enemies-ish to lovers, co-workers, forced proximity
🛠️ different types of healing growth
🌹 writing about love, experiencing rom-com tropes for research

Her familiar voice is there, we easily slip into this story but my disconnect comes from our two main characters. I have loved how Katherine Center writes flawed relatable characters but it was hard to like these two, let alone root for them to fall in love. It was kind of cringe at times, the situations and dialogue often felt like it was trying too hard to be “quirky”. There were the classic KC sweet moments that had heart and I waited for it to get deeper, but it only sorta trickled through.

Emma’s devotion of sacrifice for the family gets so twisted? Is it an eldest daughter who went through trauma thing or is it just her? I usually always side with eldest siblings but this was pretty unsettling even with her circumstances.

Along the way, especially towards the end, the few drops of the heartfelt gems that humanize a shared experience, Center’s absolute strength were a balm for the feels!

I will forever always love Katherine’s author’s notes!!! Her proclamation for love stories, I wholeheartedly believe it! I will always read love stories & whatever Center keeps writing!

Katherine Center has a way of writing that brings together delightful characters, heartwarming moments, and tons of fun. Emma Wheeler is a screenwriter, but she had put her life on hold to take care of her father. Now she has a chance to write with the very famous Charlie Yates, who happens to be her idol. What do they say about never meeting your idols? Charlie needs Emma to write a Rom-Com with, but he doesn't believe in romance and has no interest in creating something good, The two do not hit it off as Emma's passion and Charlie's ambivalence clash.

I felt I could relate to Emma immediately as she struggled to leave her father in the care of her younger sister. She has spent so much of her life and sacrificed so much for his care. I made her need to make her time writing with Charlie valuable believable and poignant. Charlie has been burned by love. He is at the top of his industry and it makes sense that he wasn't invested in this project. But as the two struggle on together, they come to really see each other. This makes for a nice slow-burn romance. The time they spend together is fun and entertaining. I especially loved the ending. Katherine Center has a way of creating both a satisfying and unique closure for her characters. This is one of my favorite books by the author so far.

Thank you, NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the advanced copy in exchange for my honest review.

I'm the minority but this wasn't doing it for me .I usually love Center's books but couldn't get into this & wasn't invested in the characters at all.

Thanks to NetGalley, St Martin's Press
& MacMillan Audio for an advance copy

This was such a fun read! I flew through this one in a little more than a day. The story was great. A classic tale of a grumpy, jaded man forced to spend time with a sunshine woman who teaches him about love. Katherine Center has had some great releases, but this one might be my favorite to date! I also loved seeing some old characters from some of her previous books in this book. This one is a great read or listen for the summer, as well as for anyone who loves rom-coms.

OMG!!! Run, don't walk, get on your computer to order, whatever it takes!!! Katherine Center is an incredible author but she hit this one out of the park. The Rom-Commers will make you laugh, cry, stop your heart and then make it melt. Every page has.something new to discover about relationships, assumptions and love. Five stars+++ for this wonderful.novel.

This book. It has insight of why I love reading, story construction, hero worship, trusting others, selflessness and letting go of trauma. And yet it was hilarious and kept me chuckling throughout. I've already recommended it widely and I'm so excited for others to read it. It might be my newest favorite from Katherine Center.

#arc
#netgalley
#theromcommers

Katherine Center will continue to be one of my favorite authors for the way that she blends humor and heart into her writing. Her latest novel’s structure followed the same as some of her others in that you have a complicated family backstory, a medical disease or ailment you might not have previously known about, and a woman who is learning to overcome those obstacles despite her hardships. If you know KC’s writing, you know what to expect in the most comforting way.

Writing wise on this one, I found several instances of a writing “crutch” that threw me off but I’m hoping that was only due to it being an early copy. Also, you are immediately dropped into the story so it took a minute for me to get my bearings. Still, I flew through this one. Many times the narrator adopts a direct to reader style that was quirky and gives the reader a view into that fun KC humor.

I very much enjoyed the father in this novel, his storyline, and his relationship with Emma (as well as the sister relationship). Often romance is hard for me because of the believability factor, but my enjoyment of Center’s books is always high. For me, her books have always been categorized in either the women’s fiction with a romance subplot or the romance genre with a bit more depth. I think if you enjoy both sides, this is a good mix and maybe something a little different from this author than you’re used to.

Thank you St Martins and NetGalley for the egalley.

4 Stars

Katherine Center does it again: she makes us swoon while also feeling big feels in the most delightful and heartwarming of ways.

I'm. not normally a huge fan of Hollywood/Screenwriting/Actor tropes because its a world that I just don't idolize or connect with, but Katherine made me love not only Emma (our driven and classic eldest-child heroine), but her surly counterpart, Charlie (Hollywood's former big hit writing wonder-kid who is struggling).

Charlie doesn't want to admit he needs help from his polar opposite, Katherine, but he doesn't know the first thing about writing a rom-com ass he has always wrote the big and explosive blockbusters. But he really does need help, so Emma is persuaded by her agent to leave her ailing father and embark on a journey of finding herself again.

As Emma lives with Charlie and they start to push the professional envelope as she tries to prove to him the tropes of a rom-com, Emma can 't help but feel torn between herself and her goals, and that of the dutiful daughter who helps care for her father at the sacrifice of herself.

We navigate that tricky journey of balancing our life roles and learning to prioritize ourselves, all while falling for the person we maybe never saw coming in the first place.

I truly loved this book and can't wait to see what Katherine delivers next!

I mean what can I even say to accurately portray the amount of fun I had reading this book that still dealt with such serious themes as physical health, divorce, and loss? How does Katherine Center balance the serious with such enjoyable scenes? I think the answer is simply in her grasp and understanding that that is what life is. It's heavy and sad and difficult, but it's also amazing and funny and full of hope.
I loved Emma and the relationships she had with her family. I loved how dedicated to love she was! I do always end up wishing for the POV of the MMC as I am always left wanting a little more from him, but that is maybe more a personal preference than critique.
Overall, another great book by KC who is quickly becoming an auto-buy author for me!